Posted by Alen Dumonjic under Chicago Bears, The Tape Never Lies on Sep 24, 2013

The Score wrote:

Earl Bennett is waiting for the snap. Without looking, he points at the line judge to ensure he’s lined up correctly on the 17-yard line, where the line of scrimmage stands. He then takes a step forward with his right foot, his inside foot, and stands on the line of scrimmage. Inside foot to the ball-side is the one that is always ahead of the two. Lining up is the first step to playing wide receiver.

Next is the hands. Most receivers don’t have their arms high and tight to their upper body. In this Trips Left set, in which Benentt is the No. 2 and slot receiver, he stands in between the monstrous Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, both towering targets who have their arms hanging to their sides. But not Bennett, whose elbows are bent and his hands are up high like he’s skiing.

Bennett hasn’t moved since he first set in his stance. He looks poised and focused, concentrating on the ball and the upcoming snap. On this 3rd-and-5 play in a heated 27-23 game, he’ll run a corner route that’ll break at 10-12 yards and eventually stretch a zone cornerback thin or run away from man coverage. It’s part of a passing concept, called “Smash,” that’s designed to beat a five under, two deep Cover 2 zone. He runs a corner route from the slot while the outside receiver, Marshall in this case, runs a five-yard hitch route and turns back to the quarterback. But before he runs the route, he has to get off the line of scrimmage.

It’s tough to get off the line from the slot against a press cornerback or safety. It’s different than being off the line, where there’s the luxury of having a free release and setting up the defensive back with it. No, in the slot and on the line, there’s no luxury; the receiver either wins at the line or he’s done. Doomed. Forget the route. Forget the throw. Forget the catch.

Bennett doesn’t have that problem, not on this play at least. He thinks back to the days he was just beginning to learn the fundamentals of playing the position and pulls out a simple technique that involves a jab of the foot in the opposite direction of where he’s headed. But he has to do it quickly and make sure his pad level’s low so he avoids late contact from Shamarko Thomas, the pressing rookie strong safety.

The ball is snapped and Bennett quickly turns his attention to Thomas. His first step is a jab inside with the right foot, which opens the floodgates. Thomas loses his footing after over-playing the pseudo inside release and then loses his base. His hips turn inside an inch and his arms go up. He’s reaching for air as if he’s drowning, looking to grab any part of Bennett to save himself.

Bennett knows Thomas is going to reach, so he does the smart thing by lowering his right shoulder and then raising his right arm over Thomas’. He knows what you know: when a defensive back is beaten, he’s going to grab the lowest end of the arm and try to get away with tugging on it as he recovers. It happens all the time and receivers always get grabbed. Sometimes there’s no penalty called. They complain, but it’s their fault.

Once Bennett breezes by Thomas, he’s a full yard in front and is free to kick it into high gear to begin the route. Covering blade-by-blade, yard-by-yard, he runs past the 10-yard line marker. Three more yards and he’ll break off his stem and turn to the corner of the end zone. Before he does that, though, he runs vertically with body control. This is clear by looking at the length of the route, which he’s ran in a straight-line. No zig-zags, just straight.

At the seven-yard line, he breaks and runs away from Thomas, who is doing his best to catch up. It won’t happen unless the throw from Jay Cutler is late, but that’s doubtful. Cutler and Bennett were college buddies on a bad Vanderbilt team and they were all the team had, so there’s chemistry between the two. History, too.

It’s a tight window for the throw and grab. Cutler has to place it in front of Bennett, who will then extend his arms and get both feet in. It’s difficult to do this, especially considering he has to drop his weight and drag his feet to stay inbound. Not all receivers can do this; it’s one of those talents that take time to develop, like a quarterback looking off a safety.

Cutler throws the ball and it sails over the head of the defense. The defenders, Thomas included, are helpless. All they can do is watch it come into the arms of Bennett and hope it’s not a touchdown. Hope that a big toe on the second foot swipes the boundary, making the pass incomplete.

Not all wishes come true. Bennett leaves the ground a few inches and catches the ball. He naturally swings it into his right armpit, something he was coached to do first after catching a football. Then his legs start to loosen up and his feet start to meet the ground. His left plants first, landing flat before turning inside and pointing down. Next is his right, which barely skims the grass before rising up again. After review, it’s deemed a touchdown.

Scoring is the final step to playing wide receiver.

Holy cow!!!! Look at #68 in the first motion picture. He never comes set. He's bobbing up and down. And he doesn't get a false start penalty? That touchdown should have been called back on a false start.

Posted by Alen Dumonjic under Chicago Bears, The Tape Never Lies on Sep 24, 2013

The Score wrote:

Earl Bennett is waiting for the snap. Without looking, he points at the line judge to ensure he’s lined up correctly on the 17-yard line, where the line of scrimmage stands. He then takes a step forward with his right foot, his inside foot, and stands on the line of scrimmage. Inside foot to the ball-side is the one that is always ahead of the two. Lining up is the first step to playing wide receiver.

Next is the hands. Most receivers don’t have their arms high and tight to their upper body. In this Trips Left set, in which Benentt is the No. 2 and slot receiver, he stands in between the monstrous Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, both towering targets who have their arms hanging to their sides. But not Bennett, whose elbows are bent and his hands are up high like he’s skiing.

Bennett hasn’t moved since he first set in his stance. He looks poised and focused, concentrating on the ball and the upcoming snap. On this 3rd-and-5 play in a heated 27-23 game, he’ll run a corner route that’ll break at 10-12 yards and eventually stretch a zone cornerback thin or run away from man coverage. It’s part of a passing concept, called “Smash,” that’s designed to beat a five under, two deep Cover 2 zone. He runs a corner route from the slot while the outside receiver, Marshall in this case, runs a five-yard hitch route and turns back to the quarterback. But before he runs the route, he has to get off the line of scrimmage.

It’s tough to get off the line from the slot against a press cornerback or safety. It’s different than being off the line, where there’s the luxury of having a free release and setting up the defensive back with it. No, in the slot and on the line, there’s no luxury; the receiver either wins at the line or he’s done. Doomed. Forget the route. Forget the throw. Forget the catch.

Bennett doesn’t have that problem, not on this play at least. He thinks back to the days he was just beginning to learn the fundamentals of playing the position and pulls out a simple technique that involves a jab of the foot in the opposite direction of where he’s headed. But he has to do it quickly and make sure his pad level’s low so he avoids late contact from Shamarko Thomas, the pressing rookie strong safety.

The ball is snapped and Bennett quickly turns his attention to Thomas. His first step is a jab inside with the right foot, which opens the floodgates. Thomas loses his footing after over-playing the pseudo inside release and then loses his base. His hips turn inside an inch and his arms go up. He’s reaching for air as if he’s drowning, looking to grab any part of Bennett to save himself.

Bennett knows Thomas is going to reach, so he does the smart thing by lowering his right shoulder and then raising his right arm over Thomas’. He knows what you know: when a defensive back is beaten, he’s going to grab the lowest end of the arm and try to get away with tugging on it as he recovers. It happens all the time and receivers always get grabbed. Sometimes there’s no penalty called. They complain, but it’s their fault.

Once Bennett breezes by Thomas, he’s a full yard in front and is free to kick it into high gear to begin the route. Covering blade-by-blade, yard-by-yard, he runs past the 10-yard line marker. Three more yards and he’ll break off his stem and turn to the corner of the end zone. Before he does that, though, he runs vertically with body control. This is clear by looking at the length of the route, which he’s ran in a straight-line. No zig-zags, just straight.

At the seven-yard line, he breaks and runs away from Thomas, who is doing his best to catch up. It won’t happen unless the throw from Jay Cutler is late, but that’s doubtful. Cutler and Bennett were college buddies on a bad Vanderbilt team and they were all the team had, so there’s chemistry between the two. History, too.

It’s a tight window for the throw and grab. Cutler has to place it in front of Bennett, who will then extend his arms and get both feet in. It’s difficult to do this, especially considering he has to drop his weight and drag his feet to stay inbound. Not all receivers can do this; it’s one of those talents that take time to develop, like a quarterback looking off a safety.

Cutler throws the ball and it sails over the head of the defense. The defenders, Thomas included, are helpless. All they can do is watch it come into the arms of Bennett and hope it’s not a touchdown. Hope that a big toe on the second foot swipes the boundary, making the pass incomplete.

Not all wishes come true. Bennett leaves the ground a few inches and catches the ball. He naturally swings it into his right armpit, something he was coached to do first after catching a football. Then his legs start to loosen up and his feet start to meet the ground. His left plants first, landing flat before turning inside and pointing down. Next is his right, which barely skims the grass before rising up again. After review, it’s deemed a touchdown.

Scoring is the final step to playing wide receiver.

Holy cow!!!! Look at #68 in the first motion picture. He never comes set. He's bobbing up and down. And he doesn't get a false start penalty? That touchdown should have been called back on a false start.

I think it's sped up a bit Billy. There is a short stop when he lifts his head before he moves again to hike the ball, but the speed of the Gif makes it seem like he never stopped moving.

September 26th, 2013, 11:21 am

sweetd20

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: October 13th, 2005, 9:03 amPosts: 2489

Re: Well... &$%^!@#!!!!! Burleson out with broken arm

Not to get off track but if anything in the GIF it looks like that right foot skims along the ground but never touches down until it lands out of bounds. Also the breakdown is of a veteran NFL WR beating a mid round undersized rookie FS from Syracuse. I was a supporter of the Lions drafting Thomas but knew he would be a year or two project.

September 26th, 2013, 11:29 am

I.E.

Walk On

Joined: September 11th, 2010, 10:19 pmPosts: 408

Re: Well... &$%^!@#!!!!! Burleson out with broken arm

Yeah - Slauson was set, and at regular speed it is obvious. Bennett dragged his right foot a bit - but it happens behind the other foot & it doesn't show at that angle. The review angle on TV showed it dragging some grass. Every team has mid-round guys on their defense. Who are the Lions going to have defending Earl Bennett? Certainly not their top guy - with Marshall, Jeffrey and the Black Unicorn out there at the same time. It will be a guy just like Pittsburgh had. That's one of the reasons why Earl is not a top WR, but is a great complimentary guy. Maybe he can't beat the top cover guys consistently like CJ or Marshall - but he is a good part of an overall offensive threat.

The Nate Washington idea is a good one - he's got the speed. A bit unreliable - but a threat.

Detroit — Nate Burleson has overcome multiple gruesome injuries during his career, so when the 32-year-old Lions receiver says he plans on returning from a broken arm suffered in a car accident last week, it’s hard to doubt him.

Burleson received the Ed Block Courage Award at the Courage House Dinner at Ford Field Tuesday night, an honor he earned after a speedy recovery from a broken leg in 2012.

Although Burleson’s injury last week put a damper on a season in which he led the Lions with 19 receptions through three games, Tuesday’s award presentation was a chance for him to reflect on the injury that forced him to miss the final 10 games last season.

In the crevice of Burleson’s fractured tibia were parts of bone and cartilage, and the injury looked more like something sustained in a car accident rather than on a football field, Kleinschmidt said.

Despite suffering the injury last October, Burleson took part in all offseason workouts and earned his teammates’ votes for the award.

During his speech, he thanked his wife, Atoya, for helping him stay strong during his recovery, and he compared his teammates to Wilson from “Cast Away,” explaining they helped prevent him from going crazy thinking about the injury.

“I think a lot of people see athletes get injured and they just expect us back,” Burleson said before the ceremony. “The one thing I can appreciate about the Courage Award is the journey that goes from the time you’re injured until the time you actually make it back on to the field and not just the physical rehabilitation, but the emotional.

“That’s the toughest part,” he said. “We can sit here and smile in front of the cameras and talk to you guys all day long, but we don’t often tell you about the time where we’re questioning every decision we’ve ever made and we’re thinking about the last route we ran just trying to get a grasp on reality emotionally. And I think for this award I’m able to kind of relive all of that appreciate everybody who voted for me and making it back.”

This is Burleson’s second Courage Award. He was also honored in 2009 with the Seahawks after recovering from a torn ACL. One player from each team wins the award annually.

“If we could have a whole locker room of Nates, we’d never worry again about anything and we’d be the best organization in the NFL,” Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. said.

The team raised about $150,000 for HAVEN, Oakland County’s premier center for the prevention and treatment of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

Before the dinner, in typical upbeat Burleson fashion, he said he’s focused on making another speedy recovery and re-joining the Lions in short order despite breaking his arm in a one-car accident last week on I-696.

“When I get back, I’m still going to try to go after that 1,000 yards,” Burleson said. “So that means I’ve got to have enough games to do it, which means I should be back soon.”

Burleson said the hard cast on his left arm is coming off Thursday, and next week he’ll be in a removable splint. Despite breaking both bones in his forearm, he said he stopped taking pain medication a couple days ago and is running and has full strength in everything but the arm.

Now that a week has passed since the accident, Burleson can laugh about the situation.

He was driving down the highway in Farmington Hills, and as a pizza box was sliding, he unsuccessfully tried to save it with one hand.

When Burleson looked up, he saw another car in front of him and swerved into the median.

Burleson posted a photo collage of the totaled car on Instagram on Tuesday and joked he’s like the fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle “because I really love pizza.”

“In the time of it happening, I honestly knew that jokes were going to come,” he said. “I try to see the lighter side of everything. Even when I was sitting there waiting on the ambulance, I was like, ‘This is going to be funny a few days from now.’”